This lifted from the TDFX Thread,
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The Wicked3D(TM) Board Company Announces 'a Voodoo2(TM) Board With an Attitude'
Wicked3D(TM) Featuring Voodoo2(TM) Beats Similar Products from Diamond And Creative By Up to 40% in Performance
FREMONT, Calif., May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wicked3D(TM) Board Company, a division of Metabyte, Inc., today announced the first in a line of new Wicked3D(TM) products, the Wicked3D(TM) featuring Voodoo2(TM) graphics accelerator card based on 3Dfx Interactive(TM) Inc.'s Voodoo2(TM) graphics chipset. Fully loaded with 12MB of high-speed
EDO DRAM, the Wicked3D featuring Voodoo2 uses Metabyte's software technology providing up to 40% better performance on Direct3D games than other Voodoo2-based graphics cards from companies such as Diamond Multimedia and Creative Technology.
Metabyte's on-going innovations in software allow for creative and optimum use of the latest entertainment software and hardware technology. Included in Metabyte's arsenal of software innovations is its new Transformation and Lighting engine.
Provided with the Wicked3D featuring Voodoo2 optimized software drivers, the new Transformation and Lighting engine will further enhance the gaming experience by accelerating DirectX. As demonstrated in the Wicked3D featuring Voodoo2 3D Winbench 98 numbers, this engine speeds up the operation of DirectX 5.0 by approximately 40% on a Pentium II 300 MHz system. ''Metabyte understands that gamers want higher frame rates. Metabyte has identified and removed bottlenecks in the graphics pipeline allowing game developers to take advantage of our optimized code when developing the latest games. We have essentially made the engine more efficient and have given it more horsepower. Now we are telling game developers to step on the gas,'' said Mr. Dave Cook, Metabyte Director of Engineering.
By adding two Wicked3D featuring Voodoo2 boards in a single system, you can increase game performance to insane levels. Dubbed Too2 Wicked(TM), this configuration provides for double the throughput with 180 Mpixel/sec. sustained fill-rate. In addition, Too2 Wicked(TM) allows for 1024x768 high-resolution gaming at high frame rates.
''We are extremely pleased with Metabyte's decision to showcase its outstanding software talent using the Voodoo2 chipset in its next-generation Wicked3D product. Together 3Dfx and Metabyte offer a no-compromise 3D solution for 'heat seekers' and core-gamers,'' said Andy Keane, Vice President of Marketing, 3Dfx Interactive.
The Wicked3D featuring Voodoo2 supports a full 3D feature-set including alpha-blending, fogging, bi-linear and tri-linear
filtering, and Z-buffer. Its two texelfx2 processors allow for single pass, dual textures per pixel providing for more realistic
images. Game support is unsurpassed with full Direct3D, Glide and OpenGL game compatibility. The Metabyte Wicked3D
featuring Voodoo2 is PCI bus 2.1 compliant and supports Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 operating systems. Metabyte
optimized Windows 98 and Windows NT 5.0 drivers will be available upon the official release of these operating systems. The
Wicked3D featuring Voodoo2 is available immediately via The Wicked3D Board Company Web Store, systems integrators
and OEMs, and at select retail locations.
The Wicked3D Board Company is a division of Metabyte that specializes in PC add-in-board products for game developers
and enthusiasts. Its parent company, Metabyte, Inc., is a fast-growing entertainment and information technology company that
provides innovative graphics, interactive media, high-speed networking and web commerce products and services. The
Wicked3D Board Company leverages Metabyte's software expertise and is rapidly becoming a launch pad for new hardware
products. Founded in 1993, Metabyte currently staffs approximately 100 employees, the majority of whom are software
engineers. In addition, the company has manufacturing partnerships with ISO900X facilities in the U.S., Taiwan, Hong Kong,
and China. Contact: Metabyte, Inc., 39350 Civic Center Drive, Suite 200, Fremont, CA 94538. Phone: 510-494-9700. Fax:
510-494-9100. Metabyte World Wide Web: metabyte.com. The Wicked3D Board Company World Wide Web:
wicked3d.com.
NOTE: Metabyte, Wicked3D, and DriveThru are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Metabyte, Inc. The 3Dfx
Interactive logo, Voodoo Graphics, Voodoo Rush and Voodoo2 are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of 3Dfx
Interactive, Inc. This product may be covered by one or more of the following U.S. patents: 5,724,561 5,740,343. All other
product names are the service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
SOURCE: Metabyte, Inc.
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